The Directors of EFM from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand will be gathering in Woking, Surrey on March 1st for a week-long Training of Trainers event, followed by two days of Directors’ meetings. This will be the first time the Directors have met together. Peter Davison, Director of EFM-Canada, will be taking good news from the Canadian scene, along with issues and concerns gleaned, not only from Administrative Council meetings, but from graduate evaluation forms and the twice-yearly Group Status Reports. A report on this meeting will be
published in the next newsletter.

EFM students and graduates from all over Alberta are being invited to a reunion and workshop in Edmonton on June 16th. Patricia Bays is an occasional lecturer in the Anglican Studies Program at Université St-Paul, Ottawa, a skilled curriculum writer, and author of several books on Anglicanism. She has recently edited the EFM texts to tidy up some of the errors and inconsistencies. Her theme will be “Anglican Diversity in the Twenty-first Century”. The gathering will also be an occasion for a graduation service and presentation of certificates. Long-time mentor Paul Robinson will also be honoured for his twenty-six (!) years of service in this capacity. He and his wife, Pat, will be moving to Toronto to be nearer their children and grandchildren. If you are a current or former EFM student in Alberta, we hope you will have
received an invitation to this event. If for some reason you have not received an invitation, please contact the EFM-Canada office, and we will forward your name to the organisers. Participants will be asked to contribute $20.00 to the cost of the event.

EFM TO HAVE DISPLAY AT GENERAL SYNOD

General Synod will be held in Winnipeg from June 19th to 25th. The National Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada will take place at the same time. As usual, EFM-Canada will have a display at a prominent location. This will be an opportunity to promote
EFM among Anglicans, but also to encourage it among ELCC members.

Group Status Reports Reviewed

In previous issues we have summarised the Group Status Reports in point form. Generally speaking, the reports fairly consistently list the things which make the EFM experience so valuable to so many people. They also point out areas needing improvement. Briefly, here are some of the key items you have mentioned:

WHAT MAKES EFM WORK WELL?

Good group process
Trust, honesty, mutual respect, humour, members are well prepared for the seminar, group norms are clear, mentors are good facilitators rather than “professors”, students participate while allowing fellow-students equal time.

Worship is well planned and carried out
Meets the needs of the group, and uses a variety of resources.

Comfortable meeting space
Well lit, not too hot or too cold, good chairs, well equipped.

Adequate breaks and refreshments
Some groups start with a meal if the seminar begins in early evening. Breaks are sufficient, without cutting into seminar time.

Good parish and diocesan support

WHAT GETS IN THEWAY?

Poor group process
Mentors lecture, rather than facilitate; individuals hog group time, members ill prepared or hold back too much.

Problems with the texts
First year is particularly heavy, and some texts are poorly written or edited; difficulty in getting hold of supplementary resources for some groups; need for more material on Eastern Orthodoxy and other faiths; over-emphasis on American perspective in Church History and Issues and Choices in Theology. Note: Current texts have been re-edited by Patricia Bays, and a complete re-write is in the offing.

P.S. Stay young with EFM! One of the May, 2006 graduates was Violet Dethridge, aged 95! Thanks to Patricia Bays for this
reminder.

A spiritually profitable Lent and a joyous Easter to all. Until the next newsletter, peace and joy be with you, fromPeter and Sheila.

PLANNED TRAINING EVENTS

Please click on the link to see the training events for EFM-Canada Training Events

N.B. ALL PARTICIPANTS IN TRAINING EVENTS
There have been some “no-shows” at training events. We know some of these were due to unforeseeable circumstances, but others occurred without notice to the Trainer and Coordinator. “No-shows” affect both the planning and the training process, as each event is designed
for the group registered. Coordinators also have to arrange for accommodation and meals. “No-shows” cause considerable inconvenience and unrecoverable costs. Participants are expected to arrive on time and stay for the whole event. Certification cannot be granted for only
partial attendance.

LOOKING FOR SUPPLEMENTARY RESOURCE MATERIAL FOR YOUR GROUP?

The efm-canada website offers suggestions about easily accessible and downloadable materials that can meet a number of your group’s needs. Please note the new website address www.efmcanada.ca

An archived copy of the January 2006 Newsletter can be found by clicking HERE

An archived copy of the May 2006 Newsletter can be found by clicking HERE

An archived copy of the September 2006 Newsletter can be found by clicking HERE

EFM-Canada operates across Canada as a program of the Diocese of Kootenay, under licence from the Faculty
of Theology, University of the South, Sewanee, Tennessee. The Bishop of Kootenay is the Right Reverend John Privett. The Director of EFM-Canada is the Reverend Canon Peter Davison. The Executive Coordinator of the program is Mrs. Sheila Mulgrew. Please feel free to contact us with comments, suggestions or enquiries: